Comer to undergo ethics probe for fundraising tied to Biden inquiry: Democratic organization

EXCLUSIVE — House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) could face an ethics investigation over allegations the Kentucky Republican is using his high-profile impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden for campaign fundraising.

The Democratic-aligned Congressional Integrity Project sent a request to the Office of Congressional Ethics to determine whether Comer violated House rules by soliciting campaign donations in messaging directly related to his impeachment investigation, according to a letter first shared with the Washington Examiner. Doing so, the group argued, would violate House rules that state solicitations for campaign or political contributions cannot be linked to official duties.

“James Comer cares more about filling his war chest than serving the needs of his constituents,” Kyle Herrig, executive director of the Congressional Integrity Project, said in a statement. “His disastrous reign on Oversight has all been to help two people first and foremost: himself, and Donald Trump. He cannot be trusted to conduct legitimate Oversight while using the Committee and its actions as his own personal campaign advertisement.”

The group pointed to a number of campaign emails sent by Comer that helped the Oversight chairman raise millions of dollars last year while linking many of his solicitations directly to Biden’s impeachment inquiry. The letter specifically cites a fundraising email from March 2024 in which Comer requested donations while “preparing criminal referrals as the culmination of my investigation.”

The letter also cited an email sent on May 16 that specifically referred to the Oversight Committee’s efforts to obtain audio files from an interview between special counsel Robert Hur and Biden regarding his classified documents case. In that email, Comer wrote the audio files “could be the final blow to Biden with swing voters across the country,” which the group argued linked his official work with campaign fundraising in violation of House rules.

“Notwithstanding these obligations, Representative Comer violated his ethical obligations by repeatedly making campaign contribution solicitations linked to his official actions as Chairman of the House Oversight Committee tasked with conducting an official impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,” the letter states.

The request for an ethics investigation comes one month after the Congressional Integrity Project requested a separate inquiry into Comer after reports surfaced he was in talks to secure a book deal while leading Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into Biden. Under House rules, lawmakers are prohibited from receiving copyright royalties unless the contract is first approved by the House Standards Committee.

It’s unclear whether the Office of Congressional Ethics will look into the most recent matter, and the Washington Examiner contacted a spokesperson for comment. The Washington Examiner also contacted a spokesperson from Comer’s office.

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The CIP has worked for months to attack Republicans’ impeachment investigation, targeting vulnerable lawmakers for “ignoring critical priorities” and instead focusing on “bogus investigations.” The group even launched a seven-figure campaign last year attacking Republicans in 17 districts across eight states over the inquiry.

The letter also comes as the investigation into Biden reaches a make-or-break moment, as some lawmakers have grown weary of the monthslong effort that has failed to uncover evidence of wrongdoing by the president to amount to high crimes or misdemeanors standard for impeachment. Since then, some GOP members have raised questions about whether the inquiry will even lead to a vote for impeachment or if such a measure would pass the lower chamber.